Lokuno Information
Lokuno is a popular pet food brand that is based and sold in South Africa. The word Lokuno is inspired by two Zulu words that mean “simple” and “nutritious”.
Unlike much of the pet food sold in South Africa, Lokuno manufactures its products locally; however, it’s not clear if all of the ingredients used in their recipes are sourced locally or if some are imported from abroad.
Lokuno proudly states on their website that they work with two nutritional experts, Lourens De Wet and Carlos Neves. Between them, these two experts have over 50 years of experience in animal nutrition.
Lokuno is relatively easy to purchase within South Africa and is sold at Absolute Pets pet food stores.
You can also purchase Lokuno pet food recipes online from the online store of Absolute Pets.
Lokuno Product Range
Dog Food
When we first discovered Lokuno, the brand had a very small product range consisting of three recipes, all of which were very similar.
This range included three variants of a Chicken and Rice recipe, one for adult dogs, one for puppies, and one for senior dogs.
However, more recently, Lokuno has expanded its dog food range, and it now includes three veterinary diet recipes and two wet dog food recipes.
The veterinary diet recipes from Lokuno cover common health issues like Joint Care, Metabolic issues, and Sensitive Skin and Stomachs.
Cat Food
Once again, when we first investigated Lokuno, their cat food range was even smaller than their dog food range and consisted of just two recipes. A Chicken and Rice recipe for adult cats and another for kittens.
However, similar to their dog food range, they have also expanded this in recent years and now offer three dry cat food recipes and three wet cat food recipes.
This expansion includes the inclusion of a grain-free dry cat food recipes and wet cat food recipes for both adults and kittens.
Lokuno Nutrition
Dog Food
Sadly, the nutrition provided by Lokuno dog food is not overly impressive and would be described as average when compared to other dog food brands.
Their recipes include a moderate proportion of protein and fat and a considerable proportion of carbohydrates.
Below is an example of the nutrition provided by a Lokuno dog food recipe.
As you can see, the protein and fat proportion sum to just over 50% of the recipe’s nutritional content, while carbohydrates make up just less than half.
If you would like to learn more about canine nutrition, we would highly recommend you check out our Dog Food Guide for a detailed discussion and analysis.
Cat Food
The nutrition provided by Lokuno cat food recipes is also poor when compared to other cat food brands and consists of moderate proportions of protein and fat and a significant proportion of carbohydrates.
Cats are obligate carnivores and thrive best on a diet high in animal and fish-based protein and fat with minimal plant matter and carbohydrates.
If you’d like to understand more about what it means for cats to be obligate carnivores, you should check out our Cat Food Guide.
Lokuno Ingredients
High-Quality Meat & Fish Ingredients
- Chicken
- Salmon
- Turkey
When we first reviewed Lokuno, they only made use of a single meat ingredient in their recipes, which was Chicken.
Chicken is by far the most popular meat ingredient used in pet food. This is because it is relatively inexpensive yet very nutritious and can provide high-quality protein and fat.
However, more recently, Lokuno has included Salmon and Turkey in select recipes, broadening their range of high-quality meat and fish ingredients.
Other Notable Ingredients
Lokuno uses a mix of grain ingredients in its recipes, including Rice, Maize, Wheat, and Millet.
Grain ingredients can be controversial ingredients in pet food recipes in the western world, with many pet owners choosing to avoid them.
However, most pet food in South Africa uses grains thanks to their lower cost and high nutritional value.
Millet is worth discussing more, and it is a less common grain to see in pet food but is gaining some traction.
It is actually closer to being a seed than a grain and is often used in recipes for dogs with allergies or who do not react well to traditional grains. You can learn more about Millet in our article Millet In Dog Food.
In addition to grain ingredients, Lokuno uses small quantities of legumes like Peas and Lentils in some of their recipes.
Peas and Lentils are the most common non-grain ingredients found in pet food recipes and are used by hundreds of brands.
Their popularity is as they are naturally high in protein for a vegetable ingredient as well as being a reliable source of carbohydrates and fiber.
If you would like to learn more about Peas, you should read our article Peas, Pea Protein, Pea Flour, and Pea Fiber in Dog Food.
Canola Oil is a plant-based oil that is commonly used in human and pet food and is found in some of Lokuno’s recipes.
Canola Oil is added to pet food to improve flavor and provide additional fat at a relatively low cost. It can also be used as a binding agent, which is critical to ensure that the ingredients of the food do not separate.
You can learn more about Canola Oil and why some pet owners are against its use in our article Canola Oil In Dog Food.
Beet Pulp is found within some of Lokuno’s recipes and is an extremely common minor ingredient in pet food recipes.
It is the by-product of Sugar Beet processing and is an ingredient that is extremely high in soluble fiber.
For this reason, pet food brands add it to their recipes to boost fiber levels and aid the digestion of their customer’s dogs.
You can learn more about the use of Beet Pulp and why some are concerned when it is used in higher quantities, in our article Dried Beet Pulp In Dog Food.
A concerning inclusion in some of Lokuno’s recipes is Powdered Cellulose. While not a common ingredient in pet food it is used by some brands as a source of fiber, similar to Beet Pulp.
However, Powdered Cellulose is far more vaguer than Beet Pulp and could be produced from a huge number of sources, including industrial ones.
For this reason, many pet owners do not agree with its use and its lack of accountability of traceability.
You can learn more about Powdered Cellulose in our article Powdered Cellulose In Dog Food.
Lastly, Lokuno’s wet pet food recipes make use of several binding agents such as Guar Gum, Carrageenan, and Xanthan Gum.
As we touched on earlier, binding agents are common in wet pet food and are used to help hold the ingredients together in a consistent texture and appearance.
You can learn more about these specific binding agents, including how they are made and any potential drawbacks in the below articles.
Lokuno Animal Testing
At this time, we have no information on what type of animal testing, if any, that Lokuno participates in.
Many pet food brands avoid disclosing detailed information about their testing and trials as they do not believe their customers may approve.
We strongly believe that invasive or laboratory animal testing is a cruel and outdated practice and one which we hope will see a significant decline.
Lokuno Recalls
Based on our research (FDA, AVMA, DogFoodAdvisor), we have no information that leads us to believe that any Lokuno products have ever undergone a recall which makes Lokuno a recall-free pet food brand.
This is an impressive record and shows that food can be safely produced within South Africa. We hope that Lokuno can maintain this recall-free record in the coming years.
However, we always warn pet owners to stay vigilant of any future recalls of Lokuno products or any other pet food brand to ensure their pets remain healthy and safe.
Best of Lokuno
Adult With Chicken And Rice Review
While Lokuno has released additional recipes, one of their original ones, Adult Chicken and Rice, is still our favorite.
It utilizes Chicken as its primary ingredient, and this Chicken provides a modest proportion of animal-based protein and fat.
Beyond this Chicken, the recipe includes grain ingredients like Rice, Maize, and Millet to provide the bulk of the recipe’s nutritional content and a significant portion of carbohydrates.
Adult Cat With Chicken And Rice Review
Similar to the above, Lokuno’s original adult cat food recipe is still our favorite thanks to the nutrition it can provide.
It includes 33% protein and 15% and this is thanks to a large portion of Dehydrated Chicken, Deboned Chicken, and Chicken Liver.
The Chicken Liver also helps to improve the flavor and palatability of the recipe more than traditional cuts of Chicken.
Whole Grain Rice is the primary plant-based ingredient and it provides a moderate proportion of carbohydrates and fiber.
Lokuno Featured Articles
At this time, Lokuno has not been featured in any of our articles.
Lokuno Full Product Range
Dry Dog Food
Puppy With Chicken And Rice
Adult With Chicken And Rice
Senior With Chicken And Rice
Joint Care Veterinary Diet
Metabolic Veterinary Diet
Sensitive Veterinary Diet
No Grain Chicken Recipe
Wet Dog Food
Adult Chicken Stew With Carrots & Buchu
Adult Salmon Pate With Peas & Rosemary
Cat Food
Adult Cat With Chicken And Rice
Kitten With Chicken And Rice
No Grain With Chicken and Turkey
Wet Cat Food
Kitten Chicken With Gravy
Adult Cat Chicken With Gravy
Adult Cat With Ocean Fish In Jelly
Good day… My doggie has allergies and sensative to grains… I really need to try this food but i read from reasurches lab… That it does not have the neutrians it proclaims to have, so im very scared now… What do i do… How will i know if my doggie is getting all the rigjt stuff… And he has Cushing deases… But i dont want to exept that so he needs grain free… And i need a sample of the grain pls…. I did not know it comes in grain free till yesterday… I also do not see you on facebook… Pls advertise more… Pls can you help… I can send pics of my doggie and if this food works im gonna put it all over the media… That sill be very good. Janine 0732367367. 🙏🌺
Can you review their “no grain” range please
I was not impressed at al with lokuno metabolic
My dogs were hungry all the time and had a massive amount of bowel movements
Will mot recommend this to anyone
We tried this cat food chicken with gravy pouch on our cat – he loved the taste, which makes a change from other cat foods. We were ecstatic because we could not get him to switch from Royal Canin to something healthier. We bought 50 chicken with gravy pouches from Absolute Pets, who manufactures and owns the brand. However, the contents of the pouches are inconsistent. The cat started rejecting them and when we looked closer we saw the sauce and consistency was a different colour. Same batch, different pouches. I called up the customer support, sent them photos and they agreed the contents of each pouch in the batch were inconsistent. Then they also said they are changing the recipe????? Who changes cat food recipes????? So it’s been a short and unfortunate experience with Lokuno, Looks like deviating from international brands which have superior research and standards in place is a better idea.
My compliments to staff at Absolute Pets in Dainfern, where I buy Lokuno dog food.
Assistant Rethabile is very helpful and knowledgeable
I would be inclined to agree – my dog had #2 accidents in the house almost daily and the odd #1. Initially, I put it down to his age – heading for 13. I went back to Eukanuba Senior and in the past two months no accidents at all.
Bought the sensitive dog food.too many poops and very bad breathe.not buying again
I have golden Cocker spaniels. They love this food Chicken and Rice for my adult Spaniels. And for my puppys I also use Chicken and Rice they also enjoy their dry meals during the day.